Bombs away. It's raining softballs.
 
Every fly ball seemed to leave the yard for the University of Minnesota Duluth Saturday afternoon at the MSU Softball Diamond. Six different batters accounted for a season-high seven home runs in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference double header against Minnesota State University Mankato. The Bulldogs scored 11 runs off of the seven home runs in the split over the Mavericks.

Minnesota State (32-14, 16-4 NSIC) rallied to take the opener 7-4 in extra innings. The Bulldogs (29-15, 9-7 NSIC) responded to take out their anger and frustration with six first-inning runs and four home runs in total to win the rematch 15-6 in five innings. 

In the 7-4 setback, UMD had a 3-1 lead in the seventh. Senior outfielder Nicole Schmitt had one of her two solo homers on the day at a key point. She briefly gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead to head to the bottom of eighth before the Mavericks walked off the game on a home run. Sophomore designated player Sierra Thomas gave UMD a 2-0 lead on her second homer of the season. Sophomore pitch hitter Billi Connell gave UMD a much-needed insurance run that would help push the game into extras. It was also Connell's second homer of her career. Her solo homer gave UMD a 3-1 lead.

Senior pitcher Allison Luoma posted her first 10-strikeout game during her Bulldog tenure. Luoma was one strikeout shy of matching her career best that she posted as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. 

Freshman infielder Taryn Christopher notched her first collegiate home run. The native of Kaukauna, Wis. put an examination point on the six-run first inning with her three-run home run to deep right field. Christopher had a career-high three RBI while corralling her 20th walk and fifth stolen base in her rookie season. 

Runs were not at a premium as the Bulldogs scored 15 runs, the second-most runs this season. They ended up one run shy of their season-high total 16 runs against Wayne State University. Sophomore infielder Khendal Johnson kicked things off with a two-run single as UMD scored at least two runs in four of the five innings. Sophomore outfielder Emma Ambroz made it 3-0 reaching on a fielder's choice before Christopher tattooed her ball.

Johnson then crushed a two-run homer in the next inning as the Bulldogs went ahead 9-2. Junior outfielder Morgan McMillan and Schmitt went back-to-back in the third to end the home-run barrage. Schmitt went 3-for-4 as she is now three home runs away from matching the single-season program record of 16 by Jessica Bren in 2018. Schmitt had a team-high three hits while Johnson and McMillan each amassed a pair of hits to round out the Bulldogs with multiple hits in the second game contest. 

Junior pitcher Allyssa Williams rebounded to earn her sixth win in the last seven starts and her 14th overall. 

UMD caps off the weekend with another double header against the University of Sioux Falls tomorrow in Sioux Falls, S.D. First pitch of that twinbill altercation will begin at 12:00 p.m.